Slain teacher one of 22 to be honored

PITTSBURGH — A Nevada middle school teacher who was killed trying to stop a seventh-grader armed with a gun is one of 22 people being honored with a Carnegie Medal for heroism.

Students say Michael Landsberry, 45, walked calmly toward Jose Reyes, 12, at Sparks Middle School and asked for the weapon before Jose fatally shot him Oct. 21, 2013.

Jose had already shot one student in the shoulder in the play yard before classes began that day, and a former Washoe County School District police chief said Landsberry’s actions gave other students time to run for cover.

The boy ended up wounding another student and firing two more shots into the wing of the school before fatally shooting himself to end the assault.

The new honorees, who will be formally announced today, include three others who died trying to save others.

Ronald LaRue, of Mayfield, Ky., died attempting to save his 5-year-old grandson from drowning in the Penobscot River in Maine on Aug. 8, 2014. Karen Wessel, of Arlington Heights, Ill., died after helping save an 8-year-old boy from drowning in a Wisconsin lake on July 22, 2014. And Tou Hu Vang of Coon Rapids, Minn., died trying to save his nephew from drowning May 25, 2014.

The commission investigates stories of heroism and awards medals and cash several times a year. It has given away $37.5 million to 9,797 awardees or their families since 1904.

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